Tuttle Learners of Chinese -English Dictionary

4.1 Topic+Comment Structure

The  basic   principle   in  making  Chinese     sentences   is  to  follow  the     “topic+comment”     structure.

“Topic” means   the subject matter  you want    to  talk    about,  and “comment”   is  the information you give

about   the subject matter. To  make    a   Chinese sentence,   you simply  first   mention the subject matter

you want to talk about, and then say what you have to say about it. For example, you can say 这件

事 zhè jiàn shì (this matter/affair) first as the “topic” and then add “comment”:

这件事 我不清楚。Zhè    jiàn    shì wǒ  bù  qīngchǔ. I’m    not clear   about   this    matter.

这件事 我很了解。Zhè    jiàn    shì wǒ  hěn liǎojiě. I  know    this    matter  well.

这件事 谁都不知道。Zhè   jiàn    shì shuí    dōu bù  zhīdào. Nobody  knows   this    matter.

这件事 我不感兴趣。Zhè   jiàn    shì wǒ  bù  gǎn xìngqu. I’m not interested  in  this    matter.

这件事 最近社交网站都在谈。Zhè   jiàn    shì zuìjìn  shèjiāo dōu zài tán. Social media   are all

talking about   this    matter  these   days.

4.2 Ellipsis of Sentence Elements

Chinese speakers    may leave   out words   that    are supposed    to  be  understood, and therefore   need    not

be  spoken. Subjects    and conjunctions    are often   omitted.    For example,    you may translate   the English

sentence If you like    it, you may buy it, but if  you don’t   like    it, you don’t   have    to. into    the Chinese

sentence 喜欢就买，不喜欢就别买。Xǐhuan jiù mǎi, bù xǐhuan jiù bié mǎi. Compare the

two sentences,  and you will    find    that    some    English words,  such    as if, you, it, and but are  not

translated.

4.3 Word Classes: Flexibility, No Inflection

Chinese words   do  not have    inflections,    i.e.    they    do  not change  to  indicate    grammatical categories.

For example, the verb 做 zuò (to do) is invariably 做 zuò; there is no past form or any other

inflected   form    of  this    verb.   Neither do  Chinese words   normally    have    formal  markers of  word    class.

Consequently,   it  is  rather  easy    for a   word    to  be  used    in  more    than    one word    class.  This    relative

flexibility in  word    classes,    however,    does    not mean    that    Chinese does    not have    word    classes (see

Section 4.5).

4.4 Measure Words and Particles

Measure words (量词 liàngcí) and particles (助词 zhùcí) are two word classes found in Chinese

but not in  English and most    other   languages.

Measure words are usually required when a noun is modified by a numeral. For example, 两书

liǎng shū is unacceptable; you must use the measure word 本 běn between the numeral and the

noun: 两本书 liǎng běn shū (two books). Furthermore, Chinese nouns require specific measure

words to go with them. For example, the noun 书 shū (book) must be used with the measure word

本 běn. See List 2 Measure Words.

In  Chinese grammar,    particles   are words   attached    to  other   words   or  at  the end of  a   sentence    to

indicate grammatical concepts or to express emotions. For example, the particles 了 le, 着 zhe,

过 guo are attached to verbs to indicate, respectively, whether the actions denoted are completed,

in  progress    or  past    experiences.